Further to Reply 289 (2026), how many Wildlife Act breaches have been prosecuted each year for the last ten years, as compared to the total number of breaches investigated each year?

Answer

The Department of Conservation advises that between 2020 and February 2026 it received 848 reports of alleged offending under the Wildlife Act 1953 – and from those reports 186 potential offences were identified. In many instances the Department receives reports of non-compliance where it is too late to intervene, there is insufficient evidence, or no offending occurred. I am further advised that six of the identified potential offences were then taken forward for prosecution. Please note that prosecutions are one of several actions that the Department can take in response to potential breaches of the Wildlife Act and that other identified potential offences have been subject to other compliance action. Over the same time period, I am advised that the Department issued 61 formal written warnings and 30 infringement notices. Advocacy or education advice was delivered on a further 40 occasions. The prosecutions were taken in 2022 (1), 2023 (1), 2024 (3) and 2025 (1). Please note the Department does not hold data in the form requested prior to 2020.